Page 12

QUINN

Q uinn was sending her mixed messages. He knew it.

Not that he could stop himself. It was like a constant tug-of-war inside him.

Staying away from her was the right thing to do.

He should have let her go inside by herself, but what if her heat wasn’t working?

Or there’d been a leak, or the roof collapsed under the weight of the snow?

Sure, he was probably overreacting, but it’s not like she had a car to go anywhere else.

As he trod through the almost foot of snow, and got to the passenger door, he was more than half surprised that she’d listened to him. With her sassy attitude, he’d expected her to jump out and be on the sidewalk before he’d made it around the front of the truck.

Pulling open the door, he reached in and lifted her down before she could object. She felt good in his arms, too good. Fuck. This was a mistake.

“I’m not a child,” she said indignantly as she stared into his face.

“No, far from it. But it’s high, and I didn’t want you to get hurt if you slipped in the snow.”

He hid his grin as she huffed and muttered, “Men.”

“C’mon. I’ll get you inside and make sure everything is okay. Then you can get some sleep.”

Patience took a step away from him and her feet slid out from under her. If he hadn’t been there, she’d have landed on her ass in the snow. He could have said, “I told you so.” He sure as hell wanted to.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Quinn kept the grin off his face as she grabbed onto his arm to keep from sliding. He couldn’t bitch that the complex hadn’t cleared the snow since it was still falling and not even daylight yet. Most people weren’t awake, let alone walking through the parking lot.

He hadn’t been inside her place yet, but he was curious to see her place and if it would reflect her personality—all bright and sunshiny? When he’d dropped Livie off after Thanksgiving, Theo had walked her inside while he’d waited in the truck.

“Are you really coming inside?” she asked as they approached her door, and she dug around in her purse for the keys.

“Yup. I want to make sure everything’s okay.”

“Okay.”

He hadn’t expected her to give in so easily, but she was dead on her feet. He wasn’t sure how she’d stayed awake for the ride home. Probably only happened because she’d been grilling him about the asshole Kern. Just thinking about what he’d done to Felicity made his fist clench at his side.

Patience unlocked the door and the deadbolt, which he was happy to see.

She wasn’t his responsibility, but he’d expect nothing less from Theo to ensure Livie was safe.

The single locks wouldn’t have cut it. When he saw the camera above the door situated under the light, he smiled.

He’d bet money that Theo had made that happen.

“You coming?” Patience asked as she stepped inside and kicked off her sneakers next to the door.

Quinn stomped his feet on the mat outside the door, but seeing the hardwood floors inside, he took off his boots too. He wouldn’t be there long, but he didn’t want to leave wet tracks all over her place.

He followed her inside, and shut the door behind him, as he leaned against it to remove his boots.

“See it’s fine. You really didn’t have to come in,” she said as she turned to face him.

It was nice and warm inside, but he still wouldn’t feel comfortable if he didn’t check it out. He could blame it on his training, but he knew he’d learned to be careful long before he’d joined the Navy.

“You stay here while I check the rest of the rooms. It won’t take long.”

“Seriously?” She rolled her eyes at him. Shaking her head, she pulled the elastic out of her hair and ran her hands through it.

He had to stop himself from sliding his fingers through the cascade of auburn hair halfway down her back. There’d been many times he’d fantasized about wrapping her hair around his wrist and pulling her to him as he kissed the fuck out of her.

“What?” She was looking up at him, and he wondered if he’d missed something she’d said.

“Nothing. Stay,” he said as he made his way down the hall. He laughed as he heard her grumble that she wasn’t a dog, and he couldn’t tell her what to do. But he smirked when he knew she’d listened to him, anyway.

Quinn made his way through the kitchen, living room and dining room, before heading upstairs to the bedrooms. He’d been right about her decorating.

The walls were a soft blue, as were the throw rugs.

The sofa was a medium blue and overstuffed, with colorful pillows.

One of those big chairs was in the corner, with a crocheted blanket over the back and lots of pink and yellow pillows.

He could picture her sitting there while studying.

As he climbed the stairs, he listened for any strange noises, not that it looked like anyone had broken in.

And now that they knew there were cameras outside, he figured Theo would have gotten an alert if someone had tried to get into the condo.

Quinn checked each room and the closets, checking the ceilings for any water spots or sagging areas.

They didn’t get snow that often in Norfolk, and he didn’t know how old the roof was to withstand the weight of almost a foot of heavy snow. The last thing he wanted to think about was Patience being crushed by the ceiling.

“Hey, did you fall asleep up there?” Patience called from downstairs.

“I’ll be right down. You’d better be where I left you, little girl.

” He smirked, thinking about her expression.

He knew she didn’t like it when he called her little girl.

But she was in so many ways. She had her whole life ahead of her.

She was young and innocent. He’d bet money she was a virgin or very inexperienced just from how she blushed whenever they touched.

The last room he checked was her bedroom—it smelled like lilacs and sunshine. He inhaled and his cock twitched in his jeans. He should have felt bad about invading her privacy, but it was for her safety. That’s what he told himself, at least.

The comforter on her queen bed matched the pale blue on the walls. Just like on the couch downstairs, she had lots of pillows, all in bright colors, scattered all over it. Quinn shook his head at the sight. Why would anyone want to move all that shit every time they got into bed?

Patience’s desk was in the corner with her laptop open. Her screen saver flashed, “You Got This!” with a stack of precariously balanced medical books next to it. Seeing the little bear wearing scrubs leaning against the desk light made him grin. It had definitely seen better days.

After checking the closet and the ensuite bath, the tension in his shoulders eased. Everything was fine and Patience would be safe after he left.

“Any problems?” Patience asked from her position, leaning against the wall near the front door.

His little girl looked dead on her feet.

God only knew how long she’d been awake.

School, working at the bar, and then delivering a baby in the middle of a blizzard would have wiped anyone out.

Patience looked like she was ready to fall over.

What had he been thinking? He was an asshole, but usually not this much of an asshole.

He should have told her to go sit in the living room while he checked upstairs.

Not that he’d expected her to listen to him.

“Everything looked fine.”

“Told you.” She crossed her arms and smirked.

“It’s always better to check than be sorry later. Besides, I’d have nightmares about the ceiling falling on you if I didn’t.”

Patience blinked up at him, her cheeks tinged with pink. “You’d worry about me?”

Fuck. Stupid rookie mistake. Of course, she’d twist his words. The last thing he wanted was to encourage her attraction.

“I’d worry about anyone.” True, although he wouldn’t have gone to the extreme he had for anyone else. Quinn cared. He just couldn’t let himself. Couldn’t trust himself with her, especially after what happened in Marikistan.

“Right.” Patience didn’t sound convinced.

Let her believe what she wanted. It wouldn’t matter in the long run. After he left her apartment, he’d stay as far from her as possible.

What he didn’t expect was for her to move in front of him as he grabbed his boots from the floor. Or for her to put her hands on his cheeks to pull him down for a kiss. Fuck. He didn’t expect that at all, and was so surprised he didn’t resist as her mouth touched his.

Her lips rubbed against his, and his shocked inhale let her slide her tongue inside.

She tasted like sunshine and mint, and her lilac scent flooded his senses.

His boots hit the floor with a heavy thud, as his arms wrapped around her waist as he pulled her closer.

His cock throbbed against his zipper and drowned out the fucks that his brain screamed at him.

This was wrong. He needed to put an end to it. To push her away. Except she felt so good in his arms, and he dragged her closer and inhaled more of her sweet scent. Then he took control.

His dominant personality needed control.

Not just needed it, but had to have it. It was hard-wired in him, and he couldn’t let it slip—ever—and it didn’t matter if it was a kiss or a fuck against the wall.

Quinn needed to be in charge. All. The. Time.

Not that Patience would ever get more than this one kiss.

If he was lucky, it would scare her away.

A feeling of coming home washed over him as he grabbed her hair and pulled her head to the side, his lips slanted over hers. He bit her lower lip, then licked the soft flesh to soothe her pain.

Patience’s mouth parted for him, and he slid his tongue inside.

Rubbing against hers. Tangling. Dancing.

Her groans spurred him on. His free hand slid down her waist to her sexy ass, and he finally squeezed the butt he’d been fantasizing about for months.

His hard cock pressed against her belly.

She squirmed against him, forcing a moan from him.

If he wasn’t careful, he’d take her against the wall.

But he shouldn’t be taking her at all. Too bad his willpower was melting faster than ice on a summer’s day.